LOUTS tearing around on quad bikes could have their machines seized. Crimebusters are warning youths that they have the power to confiscate bikes which are being used to cause a nuisance.

Since it was launched five weeks ago, several people have contacted the It's Your Call hotline to complain about teenage bikers wreaking havoc.

Tearaways on quad bikes, miniature motorbikes and off-road bikes are causing problems in Shaw, Taw Hill, Penhill and Mouldon Hill.

Now, Swindon's Crime and Disorder unit is calling on neighbourhoods to fight back by following the example of a father who was at his wit's end.

The man who asked not to be identified was so fed up with his estate being used as a racetrack that he grassed the offenders up to police.

"They drive them around with no silencers at full throttle," he said.

"The peace is just shattered."

The man is concerned there could be a nasty accident. There are several alleyways here and they tear along them," he said.

"They get up to speeds

of 30mph on walkways, speeding past dog walkers and parents with babies and toddlers.

"They're all over the road and have turned a nearby field into a mud bath."

He believes parents know what their children are doing.

"They seem to think it is legal," he said.

Cheri Wright, who heads the Crime and Disorder team, said the youngsters were committing far more than traffic offences.

"They are also breaching the Environmental Protec-tion Act by creating noise pollution," she said.

"And under the Police Reform Act of 2002, we can seize vehicles which are causing a nuisance on public land if they are a persistent problem.

"The offenders have to pay £300 to retrieve them."

Details about yobs on bikes should be reported to the hotline. Names and addresses of offenders can be given in confidence. As part of a crackdown on troublesome motorcyclists, signs have been put up around their favourite racing haunts, including Akers Way, the Venny in Pinehurst and the Sevenfields Nature Reserve.

Crime focus

ILLEGAL bikers are creating misery in several parts of town.

In Mouldon Hill, louts are tearing up areas planted with grass and saplings to brighten up the area.

At the weekend, the Adver reported how mini motorbikes were being ridden illegally around Penhill causing potential danger to people living in the area.

There was a spate of problems recently at the Sevenfields Nature Reserve in Penhill.

Volunteer conservationist Marilyn Beale said: "I was amazed because kids were there with their parents.

"The nature reserve is ancient meadow land and needs looking after.

"They were just ripping it up. It was a real shame."

Tamash Lal